How to play better backgammon?Tips, tricks, techniques, tactics... to improve your skills!A free guide to backgammon game

Welcome to tips, tricks, tactics, playing techniques, rules, strategy advice... guide to play better backgammon. In the following pages you will find vital advice and strategies of this famous board game, many tips, tricks, tactics and playing techniques to improve your skills, to be a better player.

We suppose that you know basic rules of the Backgammon Game, but if you need more information please visit our Backgammon Articles section which is expanding continually, or search Backgammon on the Net.

Besides the traditional or straight backgammon game we will try to explain two advanced versions of backgammon: The Jail which is a little more difficult than straight backgammon and needs improved skills, and The DoubleOne, easier then Jail but needs a stronger memory and accurate strategies.

How to play backgammon better?Backgammon rules, playing tips, techniques, strategies... advice!

Now please provide a backgammon board to apply and practice the following knowledge. We will start with the standard opening of the straight backgammon as seen on the following picture.

On the above positioning, your checkers (men, soldiers..) are black, your opponent's checkers are red. You will move from right to left. But, if you like, you can turn the board up and down and play from left to right, only the color of your checkers will be changed from black to red, if you don't rearrange them.

Your home area, where you will bring all your checkers by following the green arrows, and you will try to bear off before your rival, is marked <<A>> on the below board picture. The part which is marked <<B>> is the outer area and the middle of the board (between A and B) is the bar (marked "B") where hit checkers go and wait to reenter into the game.

In Backgammon you have 24 rows (or points, slots... the slim, light colored triangles) and 15 checkers (or stones, men, piece... ) for each player. When a checker is alone in a row it's a weak one and can be hit by your rival. But when you place 2 or more checkers in a row, you form a block which is safe against hits and close the route of your rival as a closed door!

The main strategy of backgammon is to block all the possible ways of your opponent and keep her - him waiting while you are freely playing. In order to achieve this result quickly, you must form blocks in strategic rows. Most important rows are marked by dark blue, blue becomes light according to importance.

How you can get the advantage as soon as possible? Well, you have to block the 6 rows from "r18" to "r23" as soon as possible while your rival's two checkers are still in "r24". When you have closed all these 6 doors it's time to wait until he plays all possible "6" combinations with all his remaining checkers (besides of these two on "r24") then open the "r18" door and start to pray for he rolls only one "6" (with a double6 he will escape and the game may become critical) and he will be obliged to play one checker leaving the other alone in "r24". That is the right time to hit this single checker and make a final door at "r24".

Now all your home area is blocked, and your opponent must wait until you bear off your checkers and open a row for him to land. But be careful to not leave a blot while you bear off! Maybe backgammon is not a very complicated game but it never forgives player's mistakes and do not believe that you are the winner until you bear off your last checker!

In the next page (Backgammon Part 2) you will learn how to play some important numbers correctly. There are few numbers which are useful to quickly build well positioned blocks and increase your chance to be the winner.